Super-rich Swiss village agrees to accommodate refugee family after months of opposition
Town council also agrees to make sizeable donation to refugee charity
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Swiss village which declared it would pay thousands of euros to deny asylum to refugees has reversed its decision and agreed to host a family from Syria.
After months of resistance, the council of Oberwil-Lieli in north Switzerland announced it was willing to accommodate a family of five refugees and provide them with welfare benefits.
In May, the village declared it would rather pay a $300,000 fine than allow any refugees to live among its residents. The council is now asking locals to come forward if they are able to offer accomodation.
At the time, one resident of the village told MailOnline: “We do not want them here it is as simple as that. We have worked hard all our lives and have a lovely village that we do not want it spoiled. We are not suited to take in refugees. They would not fit in here.”
The reason for the unexpected u-turn is currently unconfirmed, although Swiss media have linked it to a recent visit by right-wing council leader Andreas Glarner to refugee camps in Greece.
Earlier in the year, authorities in the Swiss canton of Aargau, in which Oberwil-Lieli lies, declared every village should accept at least 10 refugees. Mr Glarner and the council initially rejected the quota, and will now only agree to accommodate half that number.
The decision was agreed unanimously during a town meeting for residents, and the council additionally agreed to donate 50,000 Swiss francs (£39,400) to a charity assisting refugees in Turkey and Greece.
Oberwil-Lieli is a wealthy municipality in which counts as many as 300 millionaires among its residents. It currently has a population of around 2,200 people.
The town authorities own one apartment but it will not be free until July 1 next year, and no residents have so far responded to the council’s call for aid in sheltering the refugee family.
In April 2016 there were 1,748 applications for asylum in Switzerland compared to 1,376 for the same month the previous year.
In the early summer, the Swiss Government pledged to resettle 3,000 Syrian families fleeing Isis and the civil war in the country.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments